It goes without saying that the advances in medical and surgical technologies in the modern era are due, in large measure, to the advances made in the devices used during these surgical/medical procedures. However, these advanced devices require advanced expertise for operation, and this advanced expertise may not be available in all surgical environments. For example, surgical environments in remote locations may not have access to those environments doctors or nurses with expertise commensurate with that required to use and operate modern surgical equipment.
One proposed solution to a lack of local operational expertise for advanced medical equipment is the use of wireless remote surgical device control. However, present wireless remote surgical solutions are difficult to use, and provide inadequate surgical techniques for “on the fly” surgical modifications. Further, presently available remote solutions are limited as to the interoperability of various equipment types, and are not suited for use by operators speaking different languages.
Attempts to address these and other difficulties have not only been unsuccessful, but have further added complexity into surgical systems, and, more particularly, into the user interfaces for remotely-controllable surgical solutions. Moreover, even with the additional complexities of these remote user interfaces, current remote control systems are not complex enough to dynamically adapt to allow for dynamic interactions between highly complex user interfaces and surgical hardware systems. These complexities have also, thus far, precluded the development of a remote control surgical system that is context sensitive, such as for a non-sterile nurse or surgeon to use in order that such non-sterile party could perform all functions, or substantially all functions, that are typically performed by sterile parties local to the surgical environment.
More particularly, currently proposed solutions include the use of a wireless remote control unit that pairs to a surgical system via, for example, Bluetooth or infrared technology, and that enables some control over the surgical system without necessitating a scrub-in. However, such presently available remote control solutions typically provide a user interface having a fixed number of mechanical buttons that allow for navigation of the user interface display. These mechanical buttons generally provide fixed functionality and fixed physical labels. That is, the function and nomenclature of the buttons are limited and cannot be changed, regardless of what the user encounters on the user interface display and/or during a procedure or pre-procedure in the surgical environment remote from the user.
Therefore, the need exists for a remote surgical system and method that alleviates complexity in available remote surgical systems. This remote system and method may allow for the providing of a remote surgical interface on any device, and particularly on any mobile device, thereby providing a remote surgical system having interoperability with various types and manufacturers of surgical hardware, and allowing for interrelation between a remote party and a local surgical environment in any of a myriad of languages.